A DISCUSSION OF INJURY, TREATMENT, AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Injury and Treatment Today, nearly 19 years after the event, signs of injury among the people involved, on Rongelap at the time. there are few outward especially those who were During a visit of the Committee to Rongelap, only some barely visible scars on the ear of an older man who was examined by Dr. Cole, were evidence of the fallout, This is in stark contrast to the acute and immediate injuries suffered by the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for, even today in the A=bomb hospitals, elderly patients may be seen exhibiting the keloids or gross scars) Marshalls, caused by thermal radiation. (skin lesions, Also today, in the it is clear that the effects of the radioactive fallout were not minimal. A score of people have had thyroid operations which have removed either all, or part, of the gland, Some of these removed thyroid nodules included malignant, or cancerous lesions and while those operated on have had no later operations for other nodules or cancer, eccur., it still remains to be seen whether such developments may As to growth and development, it would appear that while late, administration of Thyroxine has caused those affected persons to return to normal, they can be judged, Miscarriages and stillbirth rates, to the extent seem to be normal now, but it is possible that radiation induced effects were missed due to the often mentioned lack of vital statistics and also to the lack of adequate examina- tion of the products. While the Committee has expressed its con- sternation and reservations concerning certain aspects of immediate 154 1O141b2 167)